I'm tired of Americans disparaging our country. Addressing concerns about our government is critical to maintaining the republic, but I'm bombarded not by criticism, but over-the-top generalizations: "The government cannot agree on an appropriations bill, clear evidence that we've never been this dysfunctional before." "Politics has never been this polarized." "The government can't protect the borders and keep out immigrants who want to destroy our country." "Our president is a dictator." "The country has never been more violent." The litany goes on and on. No solutions: just complaints.
It becomes very easy to believe that as citizens we have little chance of making change in our communities and our country. But it happens, probably more than we know.
Back in 2010, I wrote about a community effort to keep the Environmental Protection Agency from classifying the Armargosa toad as “endangered.” And last year I wrote about the residents of Tombstone, Ariz., who wanted to help secure a water supply for the city without government help.
Writing this post might curtail my access to the White House.
But the closest I’ve come to having access to Pennsylvania Avenue came during “Monopoly” games, so I forge ahead.
The U.S. Constitution offers no guarantee of access to public officials. Federal court cases have supported that view.
But when President Barack Obama took office the first time, many counted on an improved level of access to the president and to federal government business.
Instead, access to the president and government transparency got worse.
